Hallo, watch friends, it s time for This Week in Watches for June 30, 2019.I feel like I am repeating myself, but wow is it hot here in Europe.? It s 39 degrees here in Germany and that makes it 102 degrees when talking in Freedom units.? You know what else that type of heat makes?? It makes it hard to talk about watches because who wants to wear anything in this weather?? Too much information, you say?? Relax, I m fully clothed while sweating over the keyboard and it s all for you!? I m really hot, so let s dive into the cool bath of newness that s This Week in Watches…Union Glashtte Belisar Chronograph PandaOur friends over at Union Glashtte sent us a note on a couple new Belisar C...
First introduced in 2018, the Staudt Praeludium Chronograph is the top of the line at Staudt Twenthe. A Dutch watchmaker founded this brand, and weve covered him and his watches several times in the past.For those who dont know about Staudt watches, make sure to check this article which has some more background info on them. For now, well have a look at a new version of the Staudt Chronograph British Racing Green.British Racing GreenGreen dials are hot. , Seiko, Omega, Oris and many others have been adopting this dial colour since some time now. Where most of these brands use a tone of green that is very noticeable, Staudt does things a bit differently. Where the Staudt Chronograph Praeludiu...
We take a look at the MING Abyss 18.01 Abyss Concept, a new foray for the detail-obsessed micro brand.Today we ll give you look at the MING Abyss 18.01 Abyss Concept, a model that brings in several firsts for the small micro-brand that designs its watches in Malaysia, but primarily utilizes Swiss suppliers for their construction.? It s been nearly two years since we first took a look at a MING watch, the titanium 17.01, but they ve definitely remained on our radar.? With a focus on details, serious quality, and often working with high-end watch maker Schwarz-Etienne, these aren t your typical Kickstarter micro-branded watches.? In fact, their current lineup of watches start at 7,500 CHF, so ...
Italians know how to go stylish. And Anonimo, the Swiss brand with Italian roots is no exception. With their new model, they enter slightly new ground with a bit more moderate dimensions and the right dose of a vintage touch. The result is eye-candy.Anonimo s signature consists of expressive masculine watches that frequently come in bright colours. Their strength is tool watches. And they prefer to walk off the beaten track. They were the first to present a dive watch with a case made of bronze. They have created several models with extreme depth ratings. Anonimo s new model is not as loud as its sisters. Examining its details is a lesson in design.Even though the brand exists since 1997 and...
It s no secret that Czapek produces their watches in-house, but not in their own house. Czapek & Cie doesn t see their suppliers as just companies delivering services or products they pay them for. They truly work together as partners?in creative and execution processes.A visit to Czapek & Cie and their production partnersThat seems all pretty awesome and lofty, and so we were happy to accept the invitation for an inside look at how this is brought into practice.… driven around in a neo-vintage vanFirst, one has to understand that 95%?of Czapek s partners are in the Canton of Neuchatel?area in?Switzerland. Roughly, they re all within 50 kilometers?of distance. So, in two action...
This is more of a story about my Omega Seamaster 300 CK2913 than a review. The story every collector dreams of happening to them - ideally 10+ times.But in reality, such lucky moments do not come often. It s another reason why I will try to share it with you as I experienced, taking you through every gripping detail.Omega Seamaster 300 CK2913-8Head back to April 8th and I was sitting in a sweaty corner of Budapest Airport that fails to pass as a restaurant, waiting for my flight to Leeds. While reaching for another fry over the table, I saw a message on my WhatsApp flash on the screen. Tired after a long day of pitching my business to clients, I slowly took the phone. My heart almost literal...
The Oris Divers Sixty-Five Limited Edition for HODINKEE is here with styling that won t disappoint and a movement that s sure to surprise.Well now, it s not every day that we cover a new timepiece made in collaboration with another watch magazine, but it s rare that something looks as good as the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Limited Edition for HODINKEE.? Looks aren t the only thing at work, though, as this diver contains a style of movement that harkens back to the original 1965 Oris Super, Star and Waterproof pieces – head here for our comparison of old and new.? That s right, there s a manual inside this thoughtful reinterpretation of one of Oris s most popular watches.The Oris Divers Six...
Buying watches is never a Get Rich Quick scheme. Its a hobby. Most importantly, its fun. To some, it turns into a passion. What starts as a small thing will eventually lead you down the rabbit hole. Sometimes, all-consuming.When this happens, and you find yourself a slave to the beast, what do you do? Research, research, research. And with research comes a little knowledge, and with that, a little power to make an intelligent decision. But as the adage goes, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. It can trick you into thinking you have the inside track, and that you, above all others, will make a killing while your peers choke on your dust.Resale Value of the IndependentsIt certainly helps...
A few weeks ago, we sat down with astronaut Nicole Stott when we were in Milan, to talk to her about being a Space Shuttle astronaut, Family and Speedmasters.A day before our Speedy Tuesday event in Milan, we had the opportunity to interview Nicole Stott in the beautiful city of Milan. The event report (with videos) of Milan can be found here.This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings In the video, Nicole Stott is wearing her Omega Speedmaster 38 Co-Axial reference 324.38.38.50.03.001.Nicole Stott (1962) was part of NASA s selection group of 2000. In 2009, she was flight engineer during the STS-128 mission and was in space for 90 days, 10 ...
The bronze re-edition watch that deserves a gold medal. No kidding. A classy diver with a serious refresh. If you want to argue the term iconic watch when referring to the Yema Superman Heritage Bronze, this bronze novelty definitely helps to build this status for decades to come.A quick shot taken with an iPhone by the Mediterranean SeaWho cares about the date?One example for all. Usually, you see vintage inspired re-editions being ruined with an effort to fit the date window into the dial. Wouldnt it be French elegance if they decided to do the opposite? The original reference Yema Superman 53.00.16 carried a date aperture at 3, as did the 2018 re-edition in steel, but dont look for it in ...
You may already have heard about Crafter Blue. At the very beginning, Crafter Blue designed and engineered the curved end rubber straps for popular dive watches.Two years later, they began to design our own dive watch and launched our first watch C Mechanic Ocean 300m in 2018. Meanwhile Crafter Blue helped another brand UNDIVE to design the strap for their dive watch. Unfortunately, the watch discontinued due to some issues. By the end of 2018, Crafter Blue is allowed to reissue this watch. Furthermore, they upgrade and enhance the watch in Switzerland. Now, they are proud to launch their first Swiss made watch C Hyperion Ocean 600m.This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing ...
Konnichiwa, horologically enthused perusers!? It s This Week in Watches for June 23, 2019!So, I ve roughly counted it and I ve done something like 30 flights over the last 60 days.? I m kind of happy to be back at home while I write this despite returning to heat that just doesn t belong in a country that finds air conditioning unhealthy.? What the hell is up with that backwoods medical witchery?? Freeze me out and turn me blue!? This week was eventful as I had the opportunity to take in the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep press release.? It was fantastic and my transit was easy thanks to the good folks at Omega and the gem that is London City airport.? I ll come back in a future art...
In what can only be described as an off-cycle surprise, were excited to report on the announcement of the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional.It was only a couple weeks ago that we received an invite to a mysterious press release to be held on June 20th in London. Little information was given aside from the fact that the event would feature Victor Vescovo, who, among other interests, is an adventurer and undersea explorer (hes even completed the Explorers Grand Slam). The invitation made mention of Vescovos Five Deeps Expedition, a journey to the deepest spots within each of the five oceans and the fact that he actually set the record for deepest dive at 10,928 meters (35,85...
We ve been here for 15 years, and covering many vintage watches in all those years. However, since 2014, we have our #TBT feature with a dedicated focus on vintage watches.Based on the most popular articles in our #tbt category, we present to you the top 10 vintage watches overview here on Fratello. As you will see, it is mainly Seiko and dominating this overview. Why is there no Omega? Well simple, we try to allocate all of the (vintage) Speedmaster content to our Speedy Tuesday section (and only publish on Tuesday about them). If you want to have an overview of the best read Speedmaster articles, or Top 10 Speedy Tuesday articles, click here.Top 10 Vintage WatchesWe have covered dozens of...
Just recently, Sky wrote about her favourite of the Dirty Dozen: The Vertex. Of course, the Vertex that was part of the Dirty Dozen resulted in the M100. But what about the Vertex MP45?The Vertex MP45 is a (military) monopusher that has been based on a Vertex watch from 1945. At the time, Vertex was commissioned to make an ordnance timing watch. Together with Lemania, they worked on such a piece. It never was delivered to the British MoD though. Due to import restrictions, they couldn t create the monopusher they had developed. Instead, they shifted their focus from military watches to the civilian market. World War II had ended and with that, it made no sense for Vertex to put a lot of ener...
A watch that celebrates the lifestyle of motorcycling, surfing, and skateboarding. We think it is probably the first time that a watch commemorates a lifestyle event that is about these activities. Meet the Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph 42 Wheels and Waves Limited Edition.Last week in Biarritz, where the Wheels and Waves festival took place for the 8th consecutive time, Breitling presented their Premier B01 chronograph watch in 42mm. Breitling is one of the main sponsors of this event (others being BMW, Honda, Royal Enfield, Moto Guzzi, Husqvarna, Triumph etc.) and they make it possible for those who love motorcycles, surfing and skateboarding, to celebrate five days of activities around...
Earlier this year, we showed you the announcement of the Hamilton Murph. This watch is inspired by the Hamilton used in the Interstellar movie from 2014.Michael did a write-up on the Hamilton Murph and its role in the Interstellar movie, so I am not going into that in this article. I will be looking at the watch as such. Hamilton sent us the Khaki Field Murph Auto for review, including the limited box. Only the first 2555 pieces will come with this beautiful bright box, that was designed with the help of Nathan Crowley, the production designer of the Interstellar movie. After these 2555 pieces (with box) have been sold, the Hamilton Murph will come in a regular Hamilton box. We ve been infor...
Our last special Watch Strap Review; Legendary Vintage Bracelets article was well received by you guys.Thanks for that. We thought it would be cool if we continued the series with yet another iconic accessory. This time we took a closer look at a brand most of us at Fratello has a thing for. No, its not neither Seiko. Its the other brand. Im talking about Omega of course. When it comes to George Clooneys favourite brand, we can choose from a bunch of different bracelets. One of the all-time classics were the 1171s that Omega used on both Speedmaster and Seamaster models. Im sure well talk about that reference number soon. However, something more unusual, so to speak, is an earlier reference...
Our first Podcast is a fact. Although some of our team members have been talking on other podcasts, we never did a podcast ourselves. That changes today, with our first episode of Fratello on Air.With only two native English speakers on the team (Michael Stockton and Sky Sit), we pushed back video and podcasts as long as possible. Talking on video, or podcast, in a foreign language is something else than writing in a different language. It gives you more time to think, more time to look up words and have some spelling checks done. However, we thought it was time to start with our own podcast. Since we are all talking about the subject we love, we thought you are forgiving enough for some mis...
How many have-you-ever-heard-of-this-watch brands can launch a limited series with a price tag around 5.000 euros? Well, the Czech watch manufacturer PRIM, originally from Czechoslovakia, can. And to great fanfare C the watch was sold out within two weeks!Collectable right after launchWe are lucky we managed to get our hands on the only prototype marked 00/50. Initially, we thought we would write a hands-on review for a novelty piece you can then order. Today, not even a month after its introduction, we bring you a hands-on review of an already collectable piece. Probably hard to get to now. Meaning if you want to grab one, you will need to search for an owner first. Watch in question? The P...
